Aircel-Maxis case: Court reserves order on ED charge sheet

A special court today reserved for February 27 its order on the issue of taking cognisance on the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED's) charge sheet filed against ex-telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran and four others in a money laundering case related to the Aircel-Maxis deal.

The court fixed the matter for order after the ED completed arguments on the point of summoning the Maran brothers, Kalanithi's wife Kavery Kalanithi, K Shanmugam, Managing Director of South Asia FM Ltd (SAFL),  and the firms SAFL and Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd (SDTPL) as accused in the case.

ED has chargesheeted the six accused under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

During arguments earlier, ED's special prosecutor N K Matta had claimed before Special Judge O P Saini that there were money transactions which allegedly showed that SDTPL and SAFL had received Rs 742.58 crore as "proceeds of crime" from Mauritius-based firms in the Aircel-Maxis deal.

The agency had claimed that "proceeds of crime" amounting to Rs 549.03 crore and Rs 193.55 crore were received by SDTPL and SAFL, allegedly controlled by co-accused Kalanithi Maran, respectively, through various Mauritius-based entities.

The prosecutor had referred to the details of money transactions between these firms and alleged that SDTPL had received Rs 549.03 crore from Mauritius-based firm M/s South Asia Entertainment Holding Ltd.

ED had earlier alleged before the court that Dayanidhi had generated funds worth Rs 742.58 crore through illegal means and there was sufficient prima facie material to proceed against him and other accused in the case.

It had claimed that Dayanidhi had obtained "illegal gratification" of Rs 742.58 crore and the money was "parked" in the firms of Kalanithi by projecting it as untainted.

ED had also alleged that Kalanithi was controlling both SDTPL and SAFL, where the money was infused through Mauritius-based companies.

In August 2014, the CBI too had chargesheeted the Maran brothers, Malaysian business tycoon T Ananda Krishnan, Malaysian national Augustus Ralph Marshall and four companies – SDTPL, Maxis Communication Berhad, South Asia Entertainment Holding Ltd and Astro All Asia Network PLC – in the case.

CBI had alleged that Dayanidhi had "pressurised" and "forced" Chennai-based telecom promoter C Sivasankaran to sell his stakes in Aircel and two subsidiary companies to Malaysian firm Maxis Group in 2006.

All the accused have denied all charges levelled against them by these investigating agencies.